Reviews by the Reference Department of the Bristol Public Library, Bristol, Virginia/Tennessee.

Monday, June 19, 2017

No Cats Allowed by Miranda James

Reviewed by Jeanne

Librarian Charlie Harris has enjoyed working as an
archivist at Athena College, usually accompanied by his enormous Maine Coon
cat, Diesel.Diesel is quite the hit
among staff and patrons alike, but now a complaint has been brought by none
other than the new library director, Oscar Reilly.This is pretty much the last straw for
Charlie:Reilly has been nothing but
abrasive to all the staff, from the professional librarians to the
administrative staff.He isn’t even a librarian,
but a financial consultant and he seems less interested in the library’s
function than in what assets it holds—assets that could be turned into
cash.The entire rare books and archives
collection, for example.

Before Charlie can decide whether or not to resign
rather than soldier on in a now joyless job, Reilly is murdered.There’s little question that it’s an inside
job, especially since he’s found crushed in the moving book stacks, but who on
the staff was driven to kill?

This is the seventh entry in the Cat in the Stacks mysteries, a cozy
series set in Mississippi.Charlie is a warm,
genial widower with two grown children, a housekeeper, a love interest, and, of
course, Diesel.The pace is leisurely,
with time out for meals and atmosphere.I found this one to be a particularly good entry because I enjoyed
seeing Charlie take charge a bit more.In
general, he presents a gracious face even if he is angry or upset with someone;
this time, he was a bit more forthright and firm which warmed my cowardly
little heart.

I also particularly enjoyed the good use the author
made of the library setting with some inside library jokes.For example, one of the problem employees is
a cataloger. Catalogers just have that sort of reputation in the profession,
justified or not.A couple of years ago,
during interviews for the job of library director at least half the candidates chose
some aspect of dealing with a cataloger to represent a professional challenge. It’s really a double joke, though, because
Miranda James is a pseudonym for Dr. Dean James, a librarian and a serials
cataloger at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

However, I do wonder how many patrons are going to
read the book and avoid our moving stacks in genealogy. . . .

You may have noticed my comment that our cataloger is charming person as well! I first heard comments about catalogers when I was in library school back-- well, never mind. Ahem. While I didn't end up a cataloger, I certainly enjoyed the class-- even if I was typing cards on a portable manual typewriter whose platen kept slipping so that I had to keep re-doing the card.

Followers

About Me

The BPL Bookblog reviewers include:
Ambrea, who reads widely and who brings a fresh perspective to any review;
Christy H. who often likes a walk on the spooky side;
Kristin, the Eclectic Bibliophile who can help you find the perfect book;
and Jeanne. When we figure out what she does, we'll let you know.
BBL stands for "Bookblog of the Bristol Library." It also stands for "Be Back Later"-- as in, "Be back later, we're reading."